Fine & Country Review

What if we told you that Fine & Country combines these two benefits to deliver a comprehensive package for landlords, sellers, buyers, and beyond? Keep reading to learn more about this UK estate agency and what it has to offer, from selling and letting to buying, renting, and more.

About Fine & Country

Fine & Country is a network of independent estate agents with over 300 locations worldwide. The global brand includes local property experts and tech-savvy innovators, all dedicated to helping clients find the best deals. 

Fine & Country also adopts powerful marketing capabilities that span several industries and markets. The company focuses mainly on selling exclusive homes but also offers basic services to local property owners. Fine & Country also understands that moving home is a major life decision that involves both an emotional and financial investment, which is why they handle each transaction with compassion.

Over the years, Fine & Country has collected its fair share of awards and recognitions. Here are just a few of their most recent achievements. 

• 2023-2024 Best Estate Agency Single Office United Kingdom
• 2023-2024 Best Estate Agency Marketing Northamptonshire
• 2023-2024 Best Estate Agency and Single Office Rutland 
• 2022-2023 Best Luxury Real Estate Agency in Costa Blanca, Spain
• 2021-2022 Best Real Estate Single Office 
• 2021-2022 Best Real Estate Agency Marketing, Portugal
• 2021–2022 Best Estate Agency Website

Click here to view all of Fine & County’s awards dating back as far as 2010.

Why Choose Fine and Country?

When it comes to managing house sales and letting agreements, Fine & Country agents consider themselves valuable participants in your future. They’re also skilled in handling exclusive properties that require a tailored marketing approach. Bespoke services, top-notch customer service, and a lifestyle approach to advertising all deliver the results you expect and deserve. 

Fine & Country’s mission is “To be the premium brand of choice for property professionals and their clients around the world.” They strive to achieve this by offering the following benefits.

• People-focused: Customers come first and receive premium, individual services.
• Innovative: All products and services are relevant to the ever-changing market.
• Passionate: Promote and protect both the brand and its reputation.
• Honest: Agents act respectfully honestly, and hold high standards of professional conduct.
• Supportive and Collaborative: Agents work together and support one another to provide the best results for clients.
• Community Reach: Fine & Country supports the local community in its mission to end poverty and hopelessness through the Fine & Country Foundation. 

Letting Residential Properties

Fine & Country offers tailor-made letting services. They can help with things like finding a tenant, updating your investment portfolio, and property management. The website’s Letting Guide provides a detailed breakdown of the UK market and how to navigate it. Information includes:

• Buy to let investment opportunities
• The letting process explained
• How to market your property
• Choosing an estate agent
• Contracts
• Safety checks and regulations 
• Pet-friendly rules
• Property requirements
• Landlord responsibilities 
• Letting properties overseas

In terms of cost, Fine & Country doesn’t list specific fees on their site. Instead, they simply state that using an estate agent to manage and/or market your property will incur a fee. This fee is usually based on the monthly rent plus the types of services you need. For example, finding a tenant is a one-off cost, whereas fully managed services are an ongoing fee. This structure is the same for most UK estate agencies, with prices varying based on the location and the company’s experience.

Fine & Country also offers useful information about how to pay taxes on your income and what types of insurance and safety checks you need. Obtaining an EPC and gas safety certificate are the same price regardless of what estate agency you use. These prices range from £30 to £150, depending on your location and the size of the property. The same is true for EPCs. 

After you request a free property valuation, Fine & Country will offer more information about the cost of marketing, letting, and managing your home. To request an appointment, simply enter your contact information, details about the property, and a day and time slot that works best for you. 

Marketing Services

Speaking of marketing, this is one thing Fine & Country prides itself on – a unique and discrete approach to listing and advertising your beautiful home. Because Fine & Country deals mostly in exclusive sales, discretion is a top priority. Some sellers and landlords prefer staying anonymous and conducting all business behind the scenes. Fine & Country helps sellers and landlords find the perfect fit without using public marketing. How is it done? Agents share your listing with fellow agents in over 300 countries worldwide. Agents start by tapping into their own database of wealthy individuals actively searching for a property to buy or let. These anonymous services are available for both buyers and sellers.

Home Buying with Fine & Country 

Fine & Country helps buyers find their next dream home or rental flat within the UK or around the world. From an oversized country home with plenty of land to a waterfront oasis or a city flat, Fine & Country has a vast inventory of available homes for you to view and choose from. 

Fine & Country’s unique lifestyle search helps match your criteria with the perfect property. Search categories include things as specific as equestrian facilities or barns to sea views and private beaches. You can also search more broadly by price, number of bedrooms, and local amenities. Buyers looking for a quick turnaround can elicit the help of experienced agents to perform searches on your behalf. 

It’s important to note that Fine & Country uses a property-buying agency to help with this process. Outsourced buying agents will create a shortlist of properties based on your specifications. A designated agent will then negotiate the right price on the ideal property, keeping you informed and up-to-date every step of the way. The goal is to free up the buyer’s time to focus on more important things and the things they love, while Fine & Country handles all the details. 

Here are some of the biggest benefits of using a Fine & Country agent throughout the buying process. 

• Save time and money by letting an expert make quick work of finding your dream property at the best possible price.
• Agents can help you find a property discreetly before putting yours on the market.
• Gain access to off-market properties that no one else knows about. Be the first to see exclusive properties that match your criteria. 
• Eliminate the stress of searching for and viewing properties and wasting valuable time.
• Experienced agents will handle all of the negotiations to ensure the sale runs smoothly from start to finish. 
• Peace of mind that an expert is working on your behalf with your best interests in mind.

Fine & Country doesn’t list any of their prices or fees for home buying on the site. You’ll need to contact your local office for more information. 

Fine & Country also hosts online property auctions for buyers shopping on a budget.

Other Fine & Country Features

Fine & Country also has several useful resources on its website for prospective buyers, sellers, and investors. 

Guides

There are currently 9 guides on the site for visitors to browse. 

These include:

• Guide to buying a residential property
• Guide to buying a listed building

• Guide to buying an equestrian property
• Guide to buying off-plan
• Guide to investing in a property
• Guide to letting a residential property
• Guide to probate property
• Guide to renting a residential property
• Guide to selling a residential property

Armed with these helpful guides, buyers, renters, landlords, and investors can all make informed decisions about their future. You can also visit the website’s blog for more information.

Currency Exchange

Being an international estate agency means Fine & Country offers currency exchange rates and assistance. Whether you’re buying, selling, or letting a property overseas, Lumon can help. 

• Staff in 5 countries
• No obligation consultations 
• Lower exchange rates than most banks
• Exchanges over €5 billion annually (on average)
• 23 years in business
• Dedicated Fine & Country account managers 

Real Fine & Country Reviews

As of this writing, Fine & Country has less than 1,000 reviews on Trustpilot. Of those, 90% are positive. The estate agency has a 4.3-star out of 5-star rating, with customers praising the company’s responsiveness, expertise, and professionalism. Some less-than-satisfied customers reported issues with contacting the company and negative agent interactions. 

Positive Reviews

All staff members were helpful, polite, and available on request. They took time to learn about our property to show potential buyers. The sale process was made effortless thanks to the company’s expertise, and we were kept updated on any developments. – Marjorie Womack

Excellent communication throughout. Happily dealt with the agents on the other side of our buying process to facilitate the smooth purchase of our property. They gave lots of great advice and were very helpful. – Alex Churchhouse

Fine & Country has been amazing from start to finish with our house purchase. We viewed a number of properties through them, taking our individual needs and requirements into consideration at every stage until we found the property we wanted. – Anonymous

Negative Reviews

We have been trying to view properties since April 2022. We are 100% cash buyers. We repeatedly ask for a callback and occasionally get an email. Or told no-one can assist as on holiday. Even called other branches to try and get them to help us get a call back. There is no office to visit, just a PO box. Worst experience with an estate agent ever. – Garside 

I’m sharing my experience so you don’t waste your time. We marketed £200k below their wildly inflated valuation, but two months after signing with them, we had no viewings whatsoever and no engagement. We requested regular updates, but nothing. We found out they removed our property from Rightmove without any consultation with us. The Directors are arrogant and disinterested. Avoid the stress and go to a professional organization. – Mark P.

Horrendous experience. We moved into a property with no electricity or gas, a beeping alarm, and carpet on stairs that was not connected correctly. Many issues should have been dealt with and have not. They have still not resolved them and are blaming us for the issues rather than resolving them. Stay away from this company, especially if they are managing on behalf of a landlord. – Siobhan Leistikow

Fine & Country Focuses on the Finer Things in Life

Fine & Country is a high-end estate agency specializing in exclusive and discrete listings in the UK and abroad. Most of the agency’s services are geared toward landlords and property owners. Interested buyers and renters can view listed properties on the site but have to contact an agent for more information on hidden listings. 

Are you in need of a more traditional estate agency that deals strictly within the UK or London? Let Rentround help you compare and find the perfect agent for your property and budget.